Release Date: July 07th 2023. Record Label: The Bare Bones Corporation. Formats: CD/DD
23 Strangers: Tracklisting
1.Pulling Strings 03:02
2.Yakbatters Last Stand 05:48
3.Hymlic Rodeo 03:36
4.23 Strangers 05:30
5.Dragged From The Pack 04:58
6.Pinned To The Wall 04:40
7.No Fear Here 06:14
8.Spoonfed 04:30
9.Low Crime Tuesday 04:37
10.Feed The Beast 04:53
Members
Niall Hone (Ex- Hawkwind)
Ross Fuller
Jamie Gillett.
Review:
23 Strangers is the new album from Psych/Ambient/Stoner Rockers Lords Of Form who return with a heavier style of music compared to their last album. The band seem to have been taking creative cues from Mike Patton and his wide array of different musical projects. As the vocals have a distinctive Mike Patton influence with the music reminding me of his “Peeping Tom” project from 2006.
The album can be Ambient Stoner Rock one moment and the next it’s a more Experimental/Electronica/Drone based vision which you will hear within the excellent two opening tracks of Pulling Strings and Yakbatter’s Last Stand. Pulling Strings is an absolute banger of a track with Lords Of Form playing an aggressive and muscular style of Psych Stoner Rock.
Yakbatter’s Last Stand is a quirky Experimental/Electronica with the band using Ambient rhythms and techno beats for one of the more psychedelic and outlandish tracks on the album. The vocals are a mixture of Dance, Trip-Hop and Drone elements with a metallic groove moving into more areas of downbeat Stoner Rock.
Third song Hymlic Rodeo is more of a Punk Rock/Space Rock/Stoner Rock song with a rebellious attitude which could best described as The Sex Pistols jamming with Hawkwind. The Electronic beats shouldn’t really work in Space/Stoner Rock setting but Lords Of Form are revelling with their Acid Rock delivery and being quite aggressive with the “Stand Up Against The UK ESTABLISHMENT” lyrics that accompany this track.
Fourth song 23 Strangers carries on the world-weary “Electronic Dance” vibe with a melodic Space Rock attitude working against the Ambient Drone Rock tide. There’s a subtle vocal soundclip outlining the bleak vision of this track with Lords Of Form using heavy synths, dance beats and Stoner based guitars for one of the most entertaining tracks on the album.
Fifth song Dragged From The Pack has a Monster Magnet (TAB era) creative mentality on the early stages of the song with the Droned Out Dance Beats moving into areas of Gloomy Pop and world weary Psychedelics. The Middle Eastern noises, glitches and sounds allows Lords Of Form to bring a daring Socially Aware narrative dictate the action with mind-expanding lyrics allowing the listener to look at the world they currently exist in. The grooves are experimental yet again but draw in sounds from areas of Krautrock, Psych, Doom and Stoner Rock for an uncomfortable style of music but one that remains constantly engaging from start to finish.
Lords Of Form continue with their Drone/Dance takeover of Psych/Ambient driven Stoner Rock where the music becomes more blurred and distorted where the band use Industrial Rock beats with that off-kilter Punk Rock attitude coming through the lyrics on the remaining tracks.
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Other standout tracks include: Pinned To The Wall, No Fear Here and Low Crime Tuesday.
23 Strangers is a complicated and complex album to listen to where Lords Of Form offer no easy answers but provide a stunning style of Psychedelic Stoner Rock that can be classed as downright scary and superbly original within its own right.
Words by Steve Howe
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